Twins' Correa on 'cheater' barb: I've heard worse

CHICAGO — Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa on Thursday took the high road after White Sox reliever Keynan Middleton unexpectedly opened a can of old worms the previous night by calling him a “cheater.”

“I’ve heard worse,” Correa said Thursday after initially saying he was unaware of the comments.

Middleton struck out Correa to close out Wednesday’s 6-4 victory, earning his first save since May 30, 2021.

“I knew I was going to face Correa, and I don’t like him, so it was kind of cool,” Middleton told reporters after the game. “I like that. I enjoyed that a lot. … I mean, he’s a cheater.”

Correa was a member of the now-infamous 2017 Houston Astros, whose World Series title was later tainted in the eyes of many after a sign-stealing scandal rocked baseball when it came to light after the 2019 season.

The furor over that scandal has mostly died out over the subsequent years, as many members of that Houston club have moved to other teams or retired. Middleton’s comments, however, suggest that not everybody has forgotten.

If Correa was disturbed by the comments, he didn’t show it during a light-hearted huddle with the media in the Twins’ clubhouse before Thursday’s game at Guaranteed Rate Field.

“I’m just glad he’s doing good and playing good and he can take care of his family,” said Correa, who was 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles against Middleton in his career before Wednesday’s game-ending strikeout.

“Obviously his stuff has gotten better. That’s why he’s pitching in high-leverage situations for them.”

Middleton, 29, is in his first season with the White Sox. He began the season in Triple-A before being recalled by Chicago on April 10.